Kirstie: Ditch all homework in favour of more reading

KIRSTIE Allsopp has attacked the ‘absurd homework’ set by schools, branding anything other than reading as a ‘ waste of time’.

The mother-of-two, pictured, said children should be encouraged to read instead of completing exercises at home.

She cited statistics from the Literacy Trust showing the decline in children who read for pleasure – from 59 per cent of eight to 18-year-olds in 2016, down to 53 per cent in 2019.

Writing on Twitter, the 47-year-old said: ‘Hardly surprising figures, the joint assault of absurd homework, which takes time from reading, and the smartphone and tablet, it’s amazing any kids are reading for pleasure.’

Miss Allsopp, who presents Channel 4’s property programme, Location, Location, Location, claimed that Education Secretary Damian Hinds chooses to ‘ignore’ the ‘huge evidence’ suggesting that reading is the key to learning.

She added: ‘ Reading is everything, homework other than reading is a waste of time and causes conflict and unhappiness in many families, mine included.’

Her rant came after she said she would not buy her 12-year-old son a smartphone – something she compared to ‘taking them to a sex shop’ due to the availability of pornographic images online.